The objective of the invention is to provide a practical, economical, fast and convenient machine for washing the exteriors of five gallon plastic lubricant pails and the like. More particularly, in accordance with the invention, each pail is placed manually onto a pail supporting mandrel of the machine, and this results in operating a limit switch near the mandrel having a switch actuator in the path of movement of each pail. The tripping of the limit switch initiates a completely automatic operating cycle of the machine which, in about twenty seconds, brush washes the exterior of the pail with a grease and paint solvent, rinses the exterior of the pail with solvent, dries the pail with blown air, and ejects the pail from the mandrel while terminating the operational cycle and resetting the machine for its next cycle initiated by the placement of the next pail on the mandrel.
In carrying out the rapid, efficient and automatic pail cleaning operation, the machine utilizes a simplified system of solvent and air control valves which are electrically operated through a coacting arrangement of electrical timers and associated relays. A solvent pump, vacuum air pump and an existing compressed air line are included in the system which also includes an exhaust system for pollutants.
While various power-operated cleaning machines for containers including machines having rotating brushes are known in the prior art, no such known machine exists for the purpose contemplated under this invention, and no known machine possesses the speed, efficiency and convenience of this invention or the simplicity and comparative economy of the invention. Therefore, it is thought that the invention involves significant improvements over the prior art which will be more apparent during the course of the following detailed description.